Page 75 of Covert
"It's her location," I whisper to Maddox and Beckett, who just showed up in the doorway. They both gather closer to watch it in silence. It's small, but it's a lifeline, letting us know she's still alive. I forward the URL to both of them and Diesel, think about it, and then follow up with a warning for him not to do anything stupid.
Wordlessly, we all walk back to our rooms. I'm tired in a way I've never experienced before. It's a weariness of the soul that I can feel in my bones.
I type the URL into my browser on my computer, and angle the screen towards my bed. I lay down, finally, and watch her little green dot, and finally give in to sleep, knowing that she's okay.
And that somehow the universe put Natalie into Nikki's orbit, and that Nikki will keep her safe.
Chapter forty-seven
Nikki
My meetings with Becky were emotional at first, as we reconnected after so many years, and then got down to brass tacks. I told her our plan, and we've been meeting almost every day for weeks now under the guise of wedding planning.
The wedding planning actually only took an hour. I fancy dress, a few fancy bridesmaids dresses for Becky and Natalie, who agreed to be my maids of honor, a color palette picked from Pinterest, and a few calls to a flower vendor and a bakery. We won't actually be making it to the reception if our plan succeeds. So, the rest of the meetings have been pouring over the dosies Angelo put together.
Becky has the ear of the women surrounding the family, so she knows who is happy in their marriage and who wants out; who has kids, whose husbands beat them, or cheat on them, so we come up with a plan for each of them.
Angelo's already managed to remove three out of the ten most problematic men. One was picked up by the FBI after some incriminating footage was anonymously sent to them. One was encouraged to relocate after being presented with false evidence that he had embezzled money from our father. And one was drunk and tragically passed away in a house fire. That was after we hacked his computer and found gigabytes of child pornography.
We won't be able to turn Santino, but I have a card up my sleeve for that.
Only five more men to take out. The rest came into the family later, and are loyal to Angelo more than our father. Our father let money and power go to his head, and he forgot that what we have is due to the people who support us. He hasn't treated new recruits very well, which is great for us.
"Enzo has a drinking and gambling problem, according to the girls at the club," I say, pulling his file from the pile and placing it on top.
Becky nods, her golden curls bouncing in agreement. "I've heard that. Tina, his ex-wife, left him because of it."
"Great," I say, writing 'gambling addiction' onto the page just under his headshot.
"What about Dario? He seems pretty solid, and he was with Dad at the beginning."
Becky shakes her head. "Beats his wife. I've tried to get her to leave so many times, but she stays for the kids. If he takes it out on her, he doesn't take it out on them."
I nod, writing 'wife-beater' under his name. It'll be another family we'll send to the compound. I pray that Diesel was able to do what I asked him to.
We go down the list, and between Becky, Angelo, and what the ladies at the strip club have told me, we have a vice, flaw, or weakness for every man standing except Tino.
That afternoon, when I meet with Angelo, I give him the stack of papers, trusting that between him, Matteo, and Damiano, they'll have it taken care of.
There's only one more person I need to talk with, and she'll be at the Gala this Friday.
Chapter forty-eight
Nikki
Iswear I've never been this nervous before.
Everything hinges on one woman.
If she says yes, I'm free.
If she says no, we're all going to war.
Everything over the last year boils down to tonight.
The gala is a grand affair. Everyone is dressed beautifully, expensively, peacocking to show off their wealth and strength.
Four times a year, the warring mafia families put their scheming aside and hold a ball. Each family takes turns hosting, and the rules are simple - no weapons. Deals are struck, product negotiated, marriage contracts written, and then the next day they go back to trying to kill each other.
